Property Hotspot – Arles-sur-Tech

Where to buy in France now! Ready to make the move? The FrenchEntrée Property Services team reveals its top search areas – on and off the beaten track.

Arles-sur-Tech, Pyrénées-Orientales, Occitanie

If remote is your house-hunting watchword, consider the hillside village of Arles-sur-Tech. Burrowed in the lush Vallespire valley and bordered by the Canigou massif, most of this 2,882-hectare territory is densely forested, with a population of just over 2,700.

Life here is much as you would expect from a tiny, Roman Catholic settlement in the mountains. Its nucleus, the Abbaye Sainte-Marie – around which the village was built – is renowned for its preserved Gothic cloister and sarcophagus, which is said to contain holy relics and, most curiously, to secrete pure water. The Saint-Saveur Church is another key religious site, only open for concerts and ceremonies like the vibrant Festa Major procession (it is a stone’s throw from Catalonia, after all).

Of course, these aren’t the only travvellers passing through. Arles-sur-Tech sits on the GR (Grande Randonnée) 10 route and serves as a beacon for weary hikers, who stagger into the village’s numerous cafés, bars and restaurants to refresh. A firm favourite is Les Glycines, a hotel whose traditional cuisine and shaded terrace provide plenty of comfort. For those who absolutely need French pastries in their life (raise your hand), fear not: the pâtisserie Touron offers a slice (or several) of local fare, from its signature rousquilles drenched in icing to various cakes and chocolates. For your bread fix, there’s Boulangerie Alric et Fils.

So, what about the properties in this neck of the woods? For a central location, you’re looking at an entry-level cost of €85,000 up to €120,000 for a fully renovated two-bedroom  town house with terrace.  A three-bedroom with a pool and large terrace, meanwhile, would be listed at around €175,000.

Moving up to the mid-rnge, you’d be able to pick up a lovely renovated country house, with fantastic vistas, a large pool and six bedrooms for €320,000. If a large farmhouse is more your heart’s desire, you can expect to fork over €475,000. This type of property often comes with a pool, can be set in a whopping 20+ hectares of land and boats magnificent mountain views.

If you dream of life in the slow land, this sleepy hillside village may be the answer to your dreams.

Browse properties for sale in Arles-sur-Tech, Pyrénées-Orientales

If you would like some assistance discovering these or other areas of France and find out more about what the property market has to offer please don’t hesitate to give us a call at +44 (0) 1225 463752 or email us at [email protected].

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, or don’t have time to search yourself, FrenchEntrée has a dedicated Property Team to assist you in finding your dream property. Let us know what you are looking for and we will do our best to select properties matching your requirements. 

FrenchEntrée offer a wide range of services designed to help you to buy a property in France. If you need a mortgage or advice on your international money transfer, FrenchEntrée is dedicated to assisting you through all the steps of your property purchase.